Underframe-reinforcement.



v A. H. WESTON. UNDERFRAME REINFORCEMENT.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 25, I914.

1,156,259. v v Patented 001$. 12, 1915.

ARTHUR H. WESTON, or natrrmoan, MARYLAND.

UNDEBFRAME-REINFOBCEMENT.

messes;

Specification of Letters Patent. Patenf ed Get, 12, 1915;

Application filed Novem er 25, 191%. Serial No. 873,880.

To all whom it may concern 7 Be it known that I, ARTHUR H. VVns'roN, a citizen of the United States of America. residing in the city of Baltimore, State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Underframe-Reinforcement, of which the following is a speci-' fication.

It is a fact well known to those skilled in the draft gear art and conversant withexisting conditions affecting freight cars, that the old wooden underframes in their original state are becoming practically useless as the parts cannot be fastened with sufficient permanency to resist the stresses to which the whole frame is subjected. Further they do not afford sufficient supportv to the draft gear in drawing and buffing. These stresses of drawing and buffing, as well as the other principal. stresses to which the cars are subjected, are largely resisted by the center sills and the object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved device for reinforcing the center sills which, in addition to affording an improved support for the draft gear in drawing and bufling, for it connects the draft members at the ends of the cars, serves to reinforce the sills and increase the resistance which they afford to all stresses so that they are as effective as, and in some ways even more effective than metal beams would be in the same position.

In order to secure the desired result, I combine with a system of plates, angles and the like, or other suitable means used to support the cheek plates at the ends ofthe car, a new and improved reinforcing member, preferably in the form of an inverted U in cross-section, having a considerable flange at the end of each leg of the This member is inserted between the sills inclos ing each sill on two. sides and extending from bolster to bolster. The vertical legs of the U engage the verticalinwardly-disposed surfaces of the sills and the flanges engage or under-lie the bottom surface, one of each sill. The reinforcingmember is securely bolted to the sills, abutted against the bolster and tied at the ends to the draft plates or the equivalent, supporting the cheek plates. Preferably, the legs of the U are tied together at intervals by horizontal strips and the flanges which under-lie the sills are covered by wooden beams of considerable dimension bolted to the sills and the Whole structure is held by transverse bolts running vertically and horizontally In the accompanying drawings, I have illustrated portions of a-wooden underframe to which the device of my invention has been applied. I v

Figure l is a plan of the sills with the reinforcing members; Fig. 2 is a vertical, central, longitudinal section; and Fig. 8 is a transverse section on the line 8, 3 of Fig. 1., v i

Referring to the drawings by numerals, the wooden center sills l are reinforced by means of a central beam 2, preferably extending from the bolster 8, at one end of the car, to the'bolster 4:, at the other end of the car, having its ends abutting against the bolsters and having a cross-section in the form of. an inverted U with flanges 5 extending longitudinally of the beam at the end of each leg. 7

When applied to the car, the beam'is placed between the sills, the leg portions 6 of the U engaging the inner vertical surfaces 7 of the sills and the flanges- 5 engaging the bottom surfaces thereof. Underlying the flanges 5 are longitudinal timbers 8 secured to the sills and also extending from bolster to bolster and abutting against the bolsters at their ends. These timbers covering the bottom flanges, serve to protect them and also have a very considerable stiffening ef feet on the whole structure, for aside from 15 and 16' extendingthe opposite side by the draftplate's 9, in

this instance secured to the inner faces of the sills and depending therefrom to provide a seating surface for the cheek plates 10 and the. draft plates are preferably secured to the central beam forming a rigid member extending from end to end of the car resisting the stresses of tension and compression applied thereto in buffing and drawing and all the principal stresses to which the car is subjected. This connection may be made in any suitable manner surlicient to give the desired result, In the present instance, the ends of the draft plates 9 are shown as abutted against the end edges of the central beam 2 at 1'7 and channel bars 11 superimposed upon the inner surfaces of both members and. spanning the joint, are secured to said members by means of rivets and on the outer surfaces I have shown flat plates 12 cooperating with the channels, the channels and plates being riveted to the beam and to the draft plates and held by bolts 16, the bolts 16, which pass through the flat plates 12 being also passed through the channels as well as through the draft plates and central beam.

To prevent buckling of the central beam and of the sills, I provide horizontal tie plates 13 extending transversely of the beam from flange to flange and secured to the flanges. The plates act as tension and compression members to tie the legs together and space them and thus preserve a constant distance between them.

I thus provide a rigid structure extending from end to end of the car incasing the center sills reinforcing them and supporting the cheek plates so that the original frame structure is entirely relieved from the drawing and bufling stresses and at the same time its ability to resist the remaining stresses is greatly increased.

Having thus described a structure embodying my invention in its preferred form, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In an underframe, reinforcement for Wooden frame cars, wooden center sills, a U shaped central beam between the sills eX- tending from bolster to bolster, the U shaped beam having bottom flanges which engage the bottoms of the sills, the legs of the U engaging the inner faces of the sills.

2. In an underframe, reinforcement for wooden frame cars, wooden center sills, a U shaped central beam between the sills eX- tending from bolster to bolster, the U shaped beam having bottom flanges which engage the bottoms of the sills, the legs of the U engaging the inner faces of the sills, and two draft plates secured to each end of the central beam and abutted against the same.

3. In an underframe, reinforcement for wooden frame cars, vooden center sills and a central longitudinal reinforcing beam spanning the sills between the bolsters, the beam being of L shaped cross-section with bottom flanges, the legs of the U being engaged by the inner faces of the sills and the bottom faces of the sills being engaged by the flanges whereby the reinforcing beam is caused to inclose and engage two faces of each center sill.

4:. In an underframe, reinforcement for wooden frame cars, wooden center sills, a central reinforcing beam between the sills, the beam being of U shaped cross-section with bottom flanges, the legs of the U being engaged by the inner faces of'the sills and the bottom faces of the sills being engaged by the flanges whereby the reinforcing beam is caused to inclose and engage twofaces of each center sill, and longitudinal timbers secured to the bottoms of the sills and covering the flanges.

5. In an underframe, reinforcement for wooden frame cars, wooden center sills, a central reinforcing beam between the sills, the beam being of U shaped cross-section with bottom flanges, the legs of the U being engaged by the inner faces of the sills and the bottom faces of the sills being engaged by the flanges, tie plates connecting the flanges, the same being placed at intervals throughout the length of the beam and vertical and horizontal bolts tying the whole together.

6. In an underframe, reinforcement for wooden frame cars, wooden center sills, a central reinforcing beam between the sills, the beam being of U shaped cross-section with bottom flanges, the legs of the U being engaged by the inner faces of the sills and the bottom faces of the sills being engaged by the flanges, and tie plates connecting the flanges, thesame being placed at intervals throughout the length of the beam and vertical and horizontal bolts securing the flanges and legs of the beam to the hori zontal and vertical faces of the sills respectively.

Signed at Baltimore, Maryland, this 13th day of November, 1914.

ARTHUR H. WESTON. Witnesses:

JENNIE FARSON,

I. O. WRIGHT.

iogies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Ea/cents.

Washington, D. G. 

